Merlin didn't regain consciousness for two days. The dragon's magic worked deep within his soul, forcing the poison from his body as Merlin shook and trembled on the cave floor. There was nothing that Kilgharrah could do, he couldn't care for a human that didn't know how to help himself. All he could do was watch and pray that his warlock had the strength to overcome it.

It was growing late on the end of the second day when Merlin's eyes opened. He didn't look to have any recognition of where he was, instead peering blearily about until they fell on the dragon. For a moment, Merlin just stared until he rolled over and promptly threw up everywhere. Kilgharrah gently wrapped his tail around Merlin and moved him, knowing that even from that touch that he was burning up.

"A'thr?"

"In Camelot. He is safe, young warlock, remember?" Merlin seemed to gaze up at the dragon, letting the truth of the words sink in before he groaned again. The creature didn't have time to say anything before Merlin had weakly rested his forehead against his scales, breathing heavily.

"Don't feel so good."

"The poison is leaving your system. You must rest, Merlin. You are entering the final stages, you will have control over your magic by the time that the sun rises." Merlin nodded, sinking down onto the floor but still continuing to listen to Kilgharrah. For his part, the dragon didn't think he had ever seen Merlin so compliant, and that worried him. The warlock would have normally been fighting to get back to Arthur by this point, claiming that he was fine, his prince needed him and that he would somehow manage. For him to just sit here and accept that he needed to wait was a sign indeed that things were not as they seemed.

"I can't feel my magic." Merlin moaned somewhat pathetically as he curled up on the floor, shivering despite the fact that there was sweat beading on his forehead. His eyes were dull and confused and the dragon knew Merlin's sheer power had just proved to be his undoing. Merlin was magic, to have that poisoned was affecting him more than it would affect any other sorcerer.

"Have courage, you will. You know how out of control you were before, this is just your magic pulling itself back in. It will begin to settle, return to its usual levels within the next few hours, you have my word." Merlin nodded, moving closer to the heated rocks and making Kilgharrah wish that there was something more he could do for his young dragonlord. They had a bond, more than just Merlin being able to control him. The warlock had been coming to him for help long before he had the power to demand an answer, and the Great Dragon had found himself responding anyway. He felt connected to the young man.

So when Merlin suddenly bolted up with a cry of alarm barely a few moments later, the creature was worried.

"Is it still active? Just because I can't feel my magic, that doesn't mean it has stopped working, right?"

"I'm afraid that is precisely what it means. It's overcome the poison and returned to a dormant state. The next few hours will be your power increasing again. Merlin, where are you going?" Even as the dragon was talking, Merlin began crawling towards the cave entrance, clearly not trusting his legs enough to be able to walk.

"I have to get to Arthur."

"You are not yet strong enough, and you have no power."

"Exactly! Don't you understand, the man who did this…he's partly responsible for what has been happening to Arthur for all of this time, and he's here in Camelot. He has Arthur, only I think I've somehow been holding him off with a shield. If that shield is gone and he realises, I've failed."

"From what you have said, I don't think that he will kill the prince. You have not failed in your destiny."

"Not my destiny, no. But I promised Arthur that he was going to be safe, that I was going to make sure that nothing happened to him. I've just left him on his own and vulnerable, and Acrotus has Uther's ear. The king could grant permission for anything without truly realising who he is talking to."

"Merlin…"

"Don't you dare tell me to stop. Arthur wasn't just locked away for six months sitting in a comfortable cell. He was abused, tortured, raped and poisoned time and time again. Do you have any idea what it has been like trying to get him back from that, trying to make him the man that he was so that he can fulfil your stupid prophecy. I'm not losing him now, not after we have come this far."

Kilgharrah blinked. Merlin was still on the floor, crawling through the lack of strength to stand. Physically, he was pathetically weak even by human standards. Without his magic, he was completely defenceless. And yet he was just as determined as ever to be by Arthur's side, to make sure that nothing happened to his friend. Kilgharrah didn't know what he had done the first day he had told Merlin that Arthur was his destiny, didn't know the bond that had just been forged as Merlin pulled Arthur away from the flying knife.

But what he did know, however, was that he couldn't ignore such loyalty. Merlin knew that he had no chance of truly saving Arthur, not like this. But he also wasn't just going to sit here when he knew that his friend was in danger. Not just any old danger, however, but something that could completely and utterly destroy Arthur. The dragon couldn't ignore a bond like that, so his tail carefully wrapped around the ailing young man and he lifted Merlin onto his back as gently as possible.

He knew that he was going to have to fly slow, Merlin was in no fit state to be holding on. Hopefully the few hours it took him to get back would be enough for the warlock's magic to once again rise to the surface.

MMM

"Don't look at me like that, Arthur, a few days in the countryside will do you some good. A change of scenery…"

"It's not like I've been in Camelot for long."

"And a chance at some fresh air, it will work wonders. You were becoming too dependent on that boy, you shouldn't have returned early from your hunt. I for one am glad that he has disappeared. It will do you good to go away for a while.

"Father…"

"That's all I have to say on the matter. You are going." Arthur could only stare with wide eyes as the carriage door clicked shut. He had awoken from the magical sleep the day before, as if the thread of power had simply snapped and jolted him back into the land of the living before he truly had time to comprehend what was going on. He had noticed immediately, however, that the feeling of safety that had been settling into him had vanished,

He had run immediately, barricading himself in his own room and making sure that no one could get in. It was working until the king had demanded to speak with him, wanting to know why Arthur had fallen asleep in their guest's chambers rather than his own. Arthur's wide eyed look of confusion was enough to remind the king that his son was still struggling and he had left before Arthur had had the chance to explain precisely who Acrotus was. On attempting to go after the man, however, Arthur had found himself backed into his room by the very man he was trying to reveal.

He had spent the night tied to the floor, Acrotus casually using Arthur's bed with the excuse that the prince had used his. They both knew – Acrotus for sure, Arthur by having a slight suspicion – that it was because of Merlin the prince had been asleep before, but that didn't stop Acrotus from doing as he wanted.

But when Arthur had awoken that morning, however, it was to find that his bindings had been cut and he had been lifted onto the bed. No sooner had he sat up and glanced around, his father had burst into the room. Arthur hadn't liked the look on the man's face from the first moment he had seen it, knowing that it would be bad news. The King had excitedly declared that Acrotus had offered Arthur the use of his country estate whilst the prince recovered from what had happened. Uther had thought that it was a fantastic idea, and in years gone by, Arthur might have leapt at the chance to put his duties aside for a couple of days and get away.

Yet Arthur was not the boy that he had once been.

Acrotus had been standing directly behind the king when Uther had made his announcement, his eyes not leaving Arthur's. As soon as the king was done, he stepped forward and seemed to pull Arthur into a hug.

"Isn't it wonderful?" he exclaimed loudly, pulling the prince closer. "Look over by the door." The second part was a hiss, yet Arthur found that he was doing as he was told. Only to see Acrotus' two guards standing there, just out of earshot. They were both holding onto a struggling Elyan, one man having his hand over the knight's mouth in order to keep him silent whilst the other toyed with a knife in his hand.

"I have them all. Breathe a word to anyone and all of your friends die." Acrotus pulled back, beaming at Arthur before bowing to Uther.

"May we leave immediately, Sire?"

"Of course."

No!

It didn't matter what Arthur's mind had been shouting, Uther had simply summoned the servants and ordered them to help Arthur get dressed and to pack up whatever he would need. He didn't hear Acrotus' mutter that he would need nothing, but Arthur did and he shuddered. He had thought about protesting when the servants swept in, but he knew what Acrotus was capable of and was not going to let himself be the reason that any of his men were hurt. Instead, he just stood there unresisting in the middle of his room, forcing them to work hard in order to dress him.

Now, however, Arthur wished that he had struggled more. Acotus had arrived just as they had finished. He dismissed the servants with one wave of his hand before shoving Arthur to his knees. Using his body weight to keep the royal down, he had proceeded to tightly bind Arthur's hands behind his back before hauling him up again. Draping the prince's cloak over his shoulders, Arthur didn't need to see his reflection to know that it didn't look like he was tied. He still hadn't regained much of his former weight, the cloak almost swamped him. Acrotus had marched him down to the carriage, locked him in it and gone to tell the king they were departing. That had been Arthur's one last chance to get his father to listen to him, and now he was just watching as the door snapped shut.

"Let's go, driver." Acrotus called commandingly, reaching out and locking the door. Arthur knew that a simple lock wouldn't be enough to hold him, but it was small details that would cost him time if he tried to make a run for it. Trying not to pay it much attention, Arthur leant back in his seat, his hands twisting in the ropes as he tried to worm his way out of them.

He wasn't given the chance to try for long though. No sooner had the smooth roads of Camelot morphed into the rocky roads of the forest, Arthur found that he was shoved from the seat onto the carriage floor, the rocking motion causing him to almost hit his head as he did so. He barely even had time to regain his wits before Acrotus was on top of him.

The man whipped away his cloak and calmly produced a dagger, cutting away Arthur's shirt before pulling his boots off.

"I bought you as a slave all that time ago, little prince. You were my experiment and my belonging, and now you are going to do as you are told. You are no longer the prince of Camelot, you are no one. A slave without a name. Understood?"

"Get off me!" Arthur bucked upwards, almost causing Acrotus to lose his balance, but then was slammed back down to the floor by a fist connecting with the side of his head. Before he could struggle, a cold iron collar had been clipped around his neck, a short chain running from it to Acrotus' belt.

"Be thankful I'm not dragging you behind the horse."

"You'll never get away with this. Just let me go now and you might still have the chance to run."

"Oh Arthur. I know you better than that. As if you would let me run anywhere. Now hush, slaves who don't hold their tongues lose them."

"You can't do this!" Acrotus sighed, drawing a knife and causing Arthur to flinch back. He cut away a strip of fabric from the cloak before binding it tightly around Arthur's mouth, silencing him.

"This is your last chance." Arthur squirmed as he watched the knife come to rest over his now exposed torso. He still glared defiantly up at Acrotus, however, and the man almost smirked.

"I was hoping that would be your reaction." Arthur's grunt of pain was lost in the gag as Acrotus cut him before pulling out a phial from his pocket.

"I'm sure you recognise this?" Arthur's eyes widened in horror as Acrotus poured the substance over the cut, pushing his hand over it at the same time in order to force the poison into his body. Arthur arched, his eyes rolling backwards as the old flaring pain shot through him. He tried to get up, tried to do something, but it was as if all his strength had simply disappeared and he could do nothing other than collapse into a heap on the carriage floor.

"There's a good boy, that's better, isn't it? Now, I don't think I need to remind you that you can't run. Go longer than twelve hours without the antidote and you'll die. From what I've heard, you almost were killed by it. Interesting how close to the edge one can get and still be saved. I ought to test that out more. Now, onto more pressing matters."

The carriage rocked as Acrotus moved, and Arthur felt a tear slip from the corner of his eye as the maniac continued to strip him. Soon, the only thing that Arthur had on was the collar, gag and ropes binding his wrists in the small of his back.

"You will be bound to my chambers for the first few days, and this will be your attire." Arthur glared as strongly as he could as he felt Acrotus' gaze running over his body. But with the poison coursing through his system, he could barely even focus on the man's face, let alone go for anything that vaguely resembled being threatening. He did, however, feel Acrotus' hand snake through his hair for a moment, forcing him to focus.

What he saw simply made Arthur squeeze his eyes shut as he realised that the noble had undone his laces and was casually stroking himself, watching Arthur's reaction.

"Your training starts now, slave. I must admit that I was almost disappointed at how broken you were when you were due to be handed over to me. This is going to make it far more fun. Then just think, when you drop to your knees, anxious to please me, the second that I walk into the room, we'll have your father come and stay. How does that sound, pet?"

Arthur pushed the flat off his foot against the seat, trying to force himself away from Acrotus as he could get, but there was nowhere for him to go. The man just chuckled, gasping slightly as his hand moved with more intensity before he suddenly stopped. He jerked on the chain and Arthur found himself wrenched up by the collar. He was still trying to regain his breath and work out what was happening when strong hands gripped his upper arms and dragged him from the floor.

Arthur fought back, but there wasn't anything he could truly do as Acrotus moved him to his liking. Arthur found himself kneeling over the man. Acrotus had turned so he was sitting sideways on the seat, causing Arthur's back to be pushed up against the side and therefore stopping him from falling off. Hands slid down his back, sliding in between his arse cheeks and fondling him slightly as Arthur struggled to get away. His struggles seemed to make Acrotus harder and he grabbed Arthur's hips. Without warning, he lifted the young man and slammed him down, impaling him as he did so. Arthur's howl was barely muffled through the gag and Acrotus had a gleam in his eye as he lent forward and licked the tears from Arthur's cheeks, rolling his hips as he did so and forcing Arthur to move.

"Mine." He practically growled, and Arthur let his head drop as Acrotus began taking his pleasure, knowing there would be no way out of this.

As the carriage continued, night just started to fall. Acrotus finally spilled with a grunt as Merlin left the cave. Only by heading to Camelot, the warlock was going in the wrong direction. Little did he know that he was almost returning to the same sight that had greeted him all that time ago.

Arthur would be nowhere to be seen. Even Uther didn't know that Acrotus wasn't returning to his estate, but taking his new prize somewhere else entirely.